


Here We Come A-Wandering

by 3amepiphany



Series: 25 Days of WOYmas [4]
Category: Wander Over Yonder
Genre: F/M, M/M, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-12
Updated: 2016-12-12
Packaged: 2018-09-08 00:55:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8823523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/3amepiphany/pseuds/3amepiphany
Summary: Wassail and wassailing with good company.





	

**Author's Note:**

> http://omegalovaniac.tumblr.com/post/154348225269/day-9-carols-ive-since-filled-these-with-tiny

Wander volunteered to be the designated chorale instructor, with the excuse that he wasn’t a big fan of how red wine made him feel the morning after.

Peepers tasked Argos and Hater with decorating the citrus fruits with the harder, pokier spices; Theá helped Sylvia get some jars filled with the hot chocolate mix they’d just finished making. In the living room, Lucida and Iris were making sure that the sheet music Wander had printed out was divided up into nice stacks in the order they were hoping to sing the songs. Peepers had just closed up the boxes of bottles of wine and cider when there was a knock at the door.

“Sir,” said the reporting Watchdog with a small salute. “We’re approaching Detvarengang. Descent should be within the next fifteen minutes and we’ll be landing near the west courtyard of the castle per the Royal Family’s request.”

“Perfect. Will you be joining us tonight?”

There was a pause before the Watchdog responded. “N-no, sir, with all due respect I’m pretty tone deaf.”

He nodded, and then said, quietly, “Um, Alvin, listen. If you guys are still planning on using the main hall and the stage tonight while we stay in the castle, please tell Campbell and Algar that they’re not allowed to use the massive festival equipment. We’ll be on the further reaches of the main village but I don’t want to have to explain to Hater why the Skullship is lit up like a Ybiza outpost at Vibrella.”

Sheepishly, and then with a mischievous gleam in his eye, the Watchdog nodded and gave a strong salute as Peepers dismissed him.

The group met near the mouth of the ship, bundled up and carrying their goods and instruments, and Wander and Peepers took stock of everyone in attendance so that they could make sure everyone had made their way back to the castle safely at the end of the night. “Gillis!” Wander called out, and there was a wave and a bit of bustle as Gillis made his way over.

“Sir,” he greeted the Commander, saluting first and then being pleasantly surprised when Peepers went in for a handshake with his free hand. On the other was Argos, trying to get the big scarf around his neck to sit comfortably but still hide him well enough.

“Glad you could come out - I understand that we’re singing a couple of songs you penned this year?”

“Yes,sir,” the poet said happily. “I penned them, Wander here helped the composition along. I’m excited to hear them in action.”

They were met by the palace guard, who escorted them through the pristinely snow-covered gardens to the main property. Draykor and Demurra’s castle was decked out entirely in festive velvets and satins, baubles and stars, and garlands and wreaths in all sorts of interesting and beautiful materials (Iris pointed out one made of golden feathers and they all ooh’d and ahh’d over it), and there were little twinkling lights everywhere. It was magical. Once inside and un-bundled for the moment, they were greeted excitedly first by the large herd of Princes and Princesses, who ran out of the main hall at the announcement of guests and then by the rest of the attendees of the caroling party: Bradly and his wife corralled their kids with embarrassed, toothy smiles; Demurra was almost as ecstatic as her own children. Prince Cashmere and Beeza looked over from where they’d been admiring some of the decorations around the fireplace, hand in hand, the tiny little golden bells on their matching sweaters jingling a bit as they moved. Ripov had accepted Hater’s invitation, much to his surprise, and she gave him a hug that lingered just a bit, despite making sad faces that he’d decided to leave Captain Tim on the Skullship because of the cold.

“It is pretty cold out there,” she said with a loud laugh, tugging at the collar of her own sweater, a plain black knit, unadorned, likely her old standard issue. “I was just talking with the Emissaries over there and they were telling me all about this arrangement they have.”

“What a nice surprise this is,” Sylvia said with a knowing lilt, greeting Cashmere and Beeza with a hug as they approached the group.

Cashmere shrugged, “Yes, well, Wander is a really great matchmaker, you know.”

“And the Draykors are a marvelous host sovereignty,” Beeza said. They were both here as diplomatic emissaries as it was too warm for Cashmere on Buster, and too cold for Beeza on Baa-halla. “So we meet in the middle, get work done and relax well enough.”

Bradly introduced everyone who hadn’t met them yet to Lampra, and to his sons Gareth and Gawain; Wander commented that he looked absolutely whole and joyful. He agreed that he felt as such. He was mostly happy that he and Demurra were patching things up and getting to know one another better as friends, and bond a bit with Draykor personally and politically. “I still say Sweet Dee was totally wrong, though. I’ve got my fairytale ending,” he said.

Demurra rolled her eyes with a big smile and a small, dainty shrug. 

Dinner was had soon after, a gloriously huge potluck of delicious dishes and treats; Peepers had disappeared to oversee the wine and cider mulling once he’d helped Sylvia get the kids’ meals plated up. Drinks were passed out as the hall was cleared and coats, hats, and mittens were put back on, several of the Watchdogs wonderfully surprised over the imbibements and Draykor being very liberal with the kirsch and mead to match. The kids enjoyed their spiced cider as they talked about books they were reading and the sleepover games they were planning on playing that night.

Finally, with most of the adults delightfully buzzed and ready to shake some bells and tambourines around the village, they were off to go caroling in the finest tradition of Today: together.


End file.
